December 10, 2010 RESAA Minutes – page 1
Rutgers EnviroStewards Alumni Association (RESAA) Executive Board Meeting Minutes Friday, December 10, 2010
ATTENDANCE: Bill Curzie, Marlene Robinson, Irene Sabin, Bruce Barbour
Bill Curzie called the meeting to order at 10:20 a.m.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
The November 4, 2010 minutes were approved as written.
CORRESPONDENCE
Sue Dorward (Duke’10) sent an email inviting RES/RESAA to set up a display table at the Bridgewater Township Environmental Fair to be held at the Bridgewater Municipal Complex on Saturday, April 30, 2011. A reply was sent accepting the invitation.
Karen Walsh (Duke’10) sent an invitation for a RES/RESAA display table at the Flemington Boro Green Fair on Sunday, June 26, 2011 from 1:00 to 5:00pm. She also asked for suggestions for speakers. A reply was made accepting the invitation for the display table and several options were suggested for speakers.
Thuy Ahn Le (Duke’06) sent news that the BoroGreen organization in Hillsborough now has a website: http://www.borogreen.org/ . BoroGreen plans to work with partner organizations like Duke Farms, Hillsborough Township Committee, Master Gardeners, Millstone Watershed and Rutgers Environmental Stewards. They would like to invite a member from each partnering organizations to be on their Board and invited Rutgers Environmental Stewards to send a representative. RESAA will send an enthusiastic yes to the invitation. Advantages to both organizations were discussed
Bob Tallon sent an e-mail saying that after the required public meeting by the NJ Turnpike Authority on December 13, 2010, all comments from the public on the “No Net Loss Reforestation Act” should be mailed to be received NLT 5:00pm on February 12, 2011. This is in reference to the money from the NJ Turnpike Authority which is to be paid to towns in Burlington, Mercer and Middlesex Counties for use in the restoration of trees in park systems as compensation for tree removal while widening the turnpike. The state wants to use some of the money for other purposes. Comments must go to: Mr. John M. Keller, P.E., P. M. P. Supervising Engineer , New Jersey Turnpike Authority,P.O. Box 5042, Woodbridge ,NJ 07095. More information about the “No Net Loss Reforestation Act” is available at: http://www.njintouch.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/forest/community/No_Net_Loss.htm and http://www.njturnpikewidening.com/pdf/Public%20Hearing%20Notice%20No%20Net %20Loss%20Reforestation%2011.23.10.pdf
Will Sigle sent a DEP news article which states that New Jersey opposes any drilling for gas using the hydraulic fracturing method (fracking) in the Delaware River Basin until “appropriate regulations and standards are in place.” The DRBC (Delaware River Basin Commission) is drafting regulations to establish operating standards for the development of natural gas wells and the management of the basin. Although no drilling will take place in the state, NJ is part of the multi-state DRBC with PA, NY and DE and shares concerns about the impact that drilling may have on the Delaware River. As many as 10, 000 wells could be drilled in parts of the other states.
RES PROGRAM COORDINATOR’S REPORT December 10, 2010 RESAA Minutes – page 2
Bruce announced that the new RES classes will start on January 11, 2011. The program has been publicized and registrations are beginning to come in at the three sites: Duke Farms, Atlantic County (ACUA) and Warren County.
Bruce talked to Tanya Oznowich about holding a 2011 RESAA Forum at the DEP and she recommended that a date be set as soon as possible.
COMMITTEE REPORTS Education/General Meeting Committee – Marlene has also spoken with Tanya at the NJDEP and found that a Saturday Forum date is not an option. A date will have to be chosen during the work week and the following suggestions were made for June or July:
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday June 21 June 22 June 23 June 28 June 29 June 30 July 12 July 13 July 14
Marlene will give these dates to Tanya to see if a final date can be set. Additional topics for speakers: Alternative Energy, “solar farms,” forest stewardship plans, harvesting trees in state parks, invasives and their control.
Continuing Education - No information was received from Duke Farms. It was suggested that a letter be sent from RESAA confirming our readiness to work with Duke Farms on the Continuing Education project.
Computer Communications/ RESAA website update 1. Bruce said that the search engine located on our website was not working so he talked to the communications office and it is now functional. 2. Irene will post an “About RESAA” page on the website and the group reviewed some text that she and Bill wrote for the page. 3. Irene made a summary of the 2010 intern projects and these will be added to the previous summary with more work on dividing projects into categories. A Project Summary page will be added to the website so that an overview of projects can be located by category in addition to doing a search by volunteer names on the Certified Alumni page.
OLD BUSINESS
Nametags – Bruce and RESAA would like the RES program to provide permanent nametags for certified volunteers. Bill will contact a vendor for available styles and pricing. He will also ask about lanyards.
NEW BUSINESS - None
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Irene reported that the Hunterdon County Freeholders voted down a plan to harvest and sell about 700 of the largest trees in Deer Path County Park after residents conducted a write-in campaign and a large group attended the Freeholders meeting to speak against the plan. She is also looking for information on NJ Senate Bill 1954, “Forest Harvest Demonstration Projects.” One of the provisions in the bill allows for the “thinning of forests on state-owned lands in order to provide much-needed revenue to manage the state’s parks and forests.” The bill also encourages the “establishment of a viable market for such products in order to create ‘green’ jobs.” Irene is trying to locate the forest stewardship plan which determines how the trees are to be chosen for harvest. December 10, 2010 RESAA Minutes – page 3
ANNOUNCEMENTS – continued
Marlene reported that efforts continue for establishing the Eastern Woodland Indian Village on Burlington Island. The island consists of 300 land acres plus a 100 acre lake. Grants are being sought through the Partnership for Delaware Estuary Organization. The PDE website has a grant registry and a précis needs to be written by the applicant for each area of funding in: science, archaeology (study pending), use of wind turbines for energy, clean-up, water testing and native plant ID and restoration. The group would like to work with Bowman’s Hill for the plant portion of the project. Besides the goals of cleaning up and restoring the ecology of the island, the Village would like to serve as a location for educational programs for both adults and children. RESAA advised Marlene to contact Joe Abate (Gloucester’05), an EnviroSteward who is also on the Board of Island Managers, the oldest continual educational trust board in the U.S., having been in operation since 1682. More information: http://www.burlingtonisland.com/
ACTION LIST Marlene – talk to Tanya about topics/date for Forum Bill – contact vendor for nametags
The Next RESAA Meeting date will be during the first week in February, date TBA
9:30 – 10:00 idea exchange; 10:00 to Noon – business meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:15pm.
Respectfully submitted, Irene O. Sabin [email protected] 908-806-8895